Engine-starter gearing



July 31, 1923. 1,463,211

M.,L. HILLMER ET AL ENGINE, STARTER swam Filed June 24. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 31, 1923.

M. L. HILLMER ET AL,

ENGI NE STARTER GEARING File'd June 24. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'ing especially adapted for use with electric ary 26, 1920.

Patented July 3l, 1923.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX L. HILLMER AND LESLIE o. PARKER, or ANDERSON, INDIANA, AssIGNoRs TO REMY ELECTRIC COMPANY, or ANnERso'N, INDI NA, A CORPORATION or INDIANA. i'

; ENGINE-STARTER GEARING.

Application filed June 24, 1921. Serial No. 480,172.

ends by a strap 25 secured to the frame 20 by means of screw 26.

Motor pinion 22 meshes with idle gear 27 adapted to engage with the engine flywheel gear a fragment of which is shown at- 28. Gear 27 is mounted on shaft 29 having ad: Jacent eachend holes 30 through which the guide rods 24 extend, these holes 30 being considerably larger than the rods so that the idle gear 27 may float between the centers of the motor shaft 21 and the gear 28 and therefore be self-centering as it enters into engagement with the flywheel gear 28.

Lug 23 supports for sliding movement within recesses 31 thereof, sleeves 32 each surrounding a rod 24 and located within a buffer'spring 33 which is located between the lug 23 and the flange 34 of sleeve 32. Each sleeve 32 is retained in position shown in Fig. 3 by a screw 35 projecting into an elongated hole 36 provided in the side of sleex e 32. A light coil spring 37 surrounds each rod 24 and extends into a sleeve 32 and bears at its upper end against a washer 38 which in turn bears against the under side of idle gear shaft 29 withjust sufiicient pressure to hold the shaft 29 and the gear 27 in the position shown in Fig.3, in which the gear 27 is disengaged. from the flywheel gear' 28. Upward movement of shaft 29 is prevented by stop sleeves 39 pinned to each rod 24.

Normally the gearing is in the position shown in Fig. 3, the motor being at rest. When current is supplied to the motor so that shaft 21 begins to turn, the pinion 22 will cause the idle gear 27 to slide down the rods 24 into engagement with gear 28 before inertia of rotation of gear 27 is entirely overcome and it begins to rotate to any extent. This sliding movement will continue until the movement of shaft 29 is arrested by striking against the sleeve flange 34 and the consequent compressing of buffer springs 33. As soon as a tooth of gear 27 enters a tooth space of gear 28 the gear 27 will be rolled into full engagement with gear 28, the gear 27 centering itself with respect to pinion 21 and gear 28 at the same time. The buffer springs 33 take up the shock of this enmeshing movement and thereby tend to protect the gearing. The full engagement of the gearing is shown in Fig. 4.

Should the teeth of ear 27 tend to face upon the teeth faces 0 gear 28 as the gear T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MAX L. HILLMER and LESLIE O. PARKER, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Anderson, county of Madison, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Starter Gearing, of which the following is a full, clear. and exact description.

This invention relates to automatic gearmotors for starting internal combustion engines. It is generally well known that by means of such gearing when the motor is connected with a current source to crank the engine, the motor is automatically connected with the engine by virtue of the motion of the motor, and that when the engine becomes self-operative the motor is automatically disconnected from the engine. Such automatic gearing usually includes a gear connected with the motor which is moved either endwise or laterally into engagement with the engine flywheel gear.

One object of the present invention is to improve automatic gearing of the ;'type wherein a .gear connected to the motor is moved laterally into engagement with the flywheel gear. The embodiment of the invention described and illustrated constitutes improvements in gearing described and claimed in the oopending application of H. V. Reynolds, Serial No. 361,579 filed Febru- Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of gearing embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an end view thereof, partly in section, showing the gearing disconnected from the engine; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the gearing connected to the engine.

In the drawings, 20 designates the frame of an electric motor, a fragment only being shown. Frame 20 supports motor'shaft 21 carrying motor pinion 22. Frame 20 carries a lug 23 supporting curved guide rods 24 which are tied together at their upper 27 slides down rods 24:, the shaft 29 may shift toward the motor shaft 21, thereby permitting the teeth of gear 27 to approach further into the tooth spaces of pinion 22, thereby relieving the pressure between the faces of a tooth of gear 27 and a tooth of gear 28, and thereby permitting the face of a tooth of gear 27 to slide away from the face of a tooth of gear 28 and into one of the tooth spaces of ear 28.

When tile engine becomes self operative. so that the linear speed of engine gear 28 tends to exceed that of gear 27. the direction of tooth pressure is reversed and gear 27 is thrown automatically out of mesh with engine gear 28 into the position shown in Fig. 3, this movement being assisted by spring 37 which maintains the gear 27 out of meshing position with gear 28.

If necessary. the gear 27 may be provided with an additional weight element 40 to increase its inertia.

It will be apparent from the foregoing, that the present invention permits installation in any position with respect to the engine flywheel whether the idle gear be above or below the center line. connecting gear 28 with pinion 22. In any case spring .37 tends to prevent the gear 27 from being jostled into engagement with the engine gear 28. Therefore the present invention possesses advantages which adapt it particularly-for automobile work, and which are not present in constructions wherein the idle gear is maintained in normal position by force of gravity.

Vhile the form of mechanism herein shown and described constitutes a preferred form of embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted. all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What we claim is as follows:

1. In automatic gearing for engine starters, the combination with an engine gear and a motor pinion; of an idle gear meshing with the pinion; an idle gear shaft; guide rods over which said shaft may slide toward the engine gear and may move laterally with respect to said rods; buffer springs surrounding said rods for yieldingly limiting the motion of said shaft; and springs surrounding said rods and interposed between said shaft and a stationary part for yieldingly maintaining said shaft in normal position.

2. In automatic gearing for-engine starters, the combination with an engine gear and a motor including a frame and a pinion; of guide rods supported by said frame; an idle gear shaft loosely slidable upon said rods; an idle gear mounted on said shaft: buffer springs surrounding said rods and bearing against said frame; and springs surrounding said rods and interposed between said frame and said shaft yieldingly to maintain said shaft in normal position.

3. ln automatic gearing for engine starters. the combination with an engine gear and a motor including a frame supporting a rotatable pinion: of guide rods supported by said frame: an idle gear shaft loosely slidable upon said rods: an idle gear mounted on said shaft; sleeves having flanges surrounding said rods and slidably supported by said frame: buffer springs surrounding said sleeves-and interposed between said frame and the flanges of said sleeves; and springs surrounding said rods and interposed between said sleeves and said shaft, said springs being entirely housed within said sleeves when the idle gear engages said engine gear.

In testimony whereof we hereto affix our signatures.

MAX L. HILLMER. LESLIE O. PARKER.

Witness WM. 0. NELSON. 

